EMPTY


Meaning of EMPTY in English

/ ˈempti; NAmE / adjective , verb

■ adjective ( emp·tier , emp·ti·est )

1.

empty (of sth) with no people or things inside :

an empty box / glass

empty hands (= not holding anything)

an empty plate (= with no food on it)

The theatre was half empty .

an empty house / room / bus

Is this an empty chair (= not one that another person will be using) ?

The house had been standing empty (= without people living in it) for some time.

It's not good to drink alcohol on an empty stomach (= without having eaten something) .

( formal )

The room was empty of furniture.

2.

[ usually before noun ] ( of sth that sb says or does ) with no meaning; not meaning what is said

SYN hollow :

empty words

an empty promise

an empty gesture aimed at pleasing the crowds

3.

( of a person, or a person's life ) unhappy because life does not seem to have a purpose, usually after sth sad has happened :

Three months after his death, she still felt empty.

My life seems empty without you.

4.

empty of sth without a quality that you would expect to be there :

words that were empty of meaning

►  emp·ti·ly adverb :

She stood staring emptily into space.

■ verb ( emp·ties , empty·ing , emp·tied , emp·tied )

1.

[ vn ] ~ sth (out / out of sth) | ~ sth (of sth) to remove everything that is in a container, etc. :

I emptied out my pockets but could not find my keys.

She emptied the water out of the vase.

He emptied his glass and asked for a refill.

He emptied the ashtrays, washed the glasses and went to bed.

The room had been emptied of all furniture.

( figurative )

She emptied her mind of all thoughts of home.

2.

[ v ] ~ (out) to become empty :

The tank empties out in five minutes.

The streets soon emptied when the rain started.

3.

[ vn ] ~ sth (out) to take out the contents of sth and put them somewhere else :

She emptied the contents of her bag onto the table.

Many factories emptied their waste into the river.

4.

[ vn ] to make sure that everyone leaves a room, building, etc.

SYN evacuate :

Police had instructions to empty the building because of a bomb threat.

5.

[ v ] ~ (out) into / onto sth to flow or move out from one place to another :

The Rhine empties into the North Sea.

Fans emptied out onto the streets after the concert.

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WORD ORIGIN

Old English ǣmtig , ǣmetig at leisure, empty , from ǣmetta leisure , perhaps from ā no, not + mōt meeting (see moot ).

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.